The news these days is often depressing at worst and frustrating at best. It’s easy to let it get us down. Never fear… The News Blender has you covered. Once a week we feature Something Good and, in return, all you have to do is tell us something good that has happened to you this week, something you are thankful for, a joke, a cute animal story, an inspiring tale of heroics, a Random Act of Kindness… SOMETHING good.
Today’s something good is kindness.
In Louisville, Kentucky, at the John F. Kennedy Montessori Elementary School, teacher Stefany Bibb leads the Kindness Crew. The Kindness Crew is a group of students who actively practice kindness every day – they hold doors for fellow students, give out hugs and smiles, and encourage a culture of respect and kindness.
The school has a new “Kindness Garden” where kids can go and sit among cheerful pinwheels and colorfully painted rocks sporting inspirational sayings. Students can “check out” a rock from the garden for a week. If they want to keep it longer, they can paint a new rock to replace it. Aniyah Cox, a 4th grade Kindness Crew member, told WDRB that students can also pass a rock onto a friend, which will, she says, make them happy too.
Aniyah mentions her favorite act of kindness is making people smile because it lights up her world and she knows it makes them feel warm inside too.
John Johnson, a 5th grader, says he likes to hold the door for others because it shows that you care about them.
The best part of being kind, says 5th grader Kim Le, is that it “comes back to you when people just say ‘thank you'”. The joy kind of returns.”
Kim Le continued, “I’m not doing this alone. I believe that if a whole school could be kind, the whole world could be kind. And that is one small step for kindness to the whole world.”
“Nothing you’ve heard from any of the students, nothing they do, is because of me. I just gave them the outlet to do what they naturally do,” said Stefany. “They’re naturally kind. There’s nothing I can take credit for for how amazing they are and the kindness they spread. I’m just like, ‘Here, do what you do’.”
Spreading kindness, love, and respect is a good thing and much needed. Now it’s your turn… Tell me something good!
